David Pastore advances to Met Amateur Championship finals

Updated 11:18 pm, Saturday, August 2, 2014

David Pastore, right, and his caddie, younger brother Paul Pastore, walk the course at The Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y. during Saturday's semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur.

David Pastore, right, and his caddie, younger brother Paul Pastore, walk the course at The Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y. during Saturday's semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur.

Photo: Contributed Photo, Metrropolitan Golf Association/C

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Greenwich's David Pastore studies the green during the semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur Saturday at the Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y. Pastore beat Sam Bernstein 1-up.

Greenwich's David Pastore studies the green during the semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur Saturday at the Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y. Pastore beat Sam Bernstein 1-up.

Photo: Contributed Photo, Metrropolitan Golf Association/C

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David Pastore of Greenwich watches his tee shot during the semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur Saturday at the Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y. Pastore beat Sam Bernstein 1-up. Looking on his Pastore's caddy, younger brother Paul. less

David Pastore of Greenwich watches his tee shot during the semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur Saturday at the Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y. Pastore beat Sam Bernstein 1-up. Looking on his Pastore's caddy, ... more

Photo: Contributed Photo, Metrropolitan Golf Association/C

Image 4 of 6

David Pastore of Greenwich watches his tee shot during the semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur Saturday at the Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y. Pastore beat Sam Bernstein 1-up. Looking on his Pastore's caddy, younger brother Paul. less

David Pastore of Greenwich watches his tee shot during the semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur Saturday at the Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y. Pastore beat Sam Bernstein 1-up. Looking on his Pastore's caddy, ... more

Greenwich's David Pastore, left, celebrates with his caddy and younger brother Paul after beating Sam Bernstein 1-up in the semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur Saturday at the Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y.

Greenwich's David Pastore, left, celebrates with his caddy and younger brother Paul after beating Sam Bernstein 1-up in the semifinals of the 112th Met Amateur Saturday at the Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y.

Photo: Contributed Photo, Metrropolitan Golf Association/C

David Pastore advances to Met Amateur Championship finals

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LOCUST VALLEY, N.Y. -- David Pastore has played eight rounds of golf the past six days, one of which went to a playoff. Yet the Greenwich native can't wait to play two more rounds Sunday -- and for good reason.

Already the winner of the Ike Stroke Play Championship, Pastore is one victory away from capturing his second Metropolitan Golf Association title this summer -- a win he will look to attain at The Creek in Locust Valley, N.Y.

In a back-and-forth battle, the ninth-seeded Pastore (MGA eClub of Westchester/Fairfield) edged 12th-seeded Sam Bernstein of Century Country Club, 1-up, in the semifinal round of the 112th Met Amateur Championship. Pastore, a Greenwich High School and University of Virginia graduate, will face second-seeded Matthew Lowe of Colonial Springs Golf Club in Sunday's 36-hole final. The morning round is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., with the afternoon round commencing about noon.

"To make it to the finals in a big, competitive tournament like this is nice," Pastore said. "It's difficult to win a couple of matches in a row because match play is very fickle and it hasn't been easy for me. I've taken it down to the last hole the last couple of times."

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112th Met Amateur Championship

Indeed, it wasn't until he sank a short par putt on the 18th hole that Pastore could breathe easy. Though he hit his tee shot into the rough on the par-5 18th hole, Pastore reached the green on his third shot, then saw his birdie putt lip out. Bernstein, a 2014 Yale University graduate, narrowly missed a birdie putt after chipping to within about eight feet on 18.

"Yesterday (Friday) I went into 18 with a 1-up lead and I parred it and lost the hole, so I had to go to a playoff," said Pastore, who beat Dylan Newman of Hollow Brook Golf Club in 19 holes in Friday's quarterfinals. "So I was trying to be more aggressive on 18 today and knew I probably needed a birdie. I didn't hit a good drive, but played the rest of the hole smart and forced Sam to make a birdie on a tough hole."

With the match all square after the 15th hole, Pastore took a 1-up edge by holing a 35-foot uphill birdie putt on 16.

"It was one of those puts where you see the line before you even hit it," said Pastore, who besides winning the Ike has a pair of Met Junior titles and the Carter Cup championship to his ledger. "You want to hit it as quick as possible because you know it's going in and luckily it did go in."

Sinking a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 7th hole gave Bernstein a 1-up advantage, but Pastore birdied the ensuing hole, making it all square.

"There was a lot of good out there for me today and a few bad spots," said Bernstein, who beat Pastore in the Round of 16 at the 2011 Met Amateur. "I started poorly with a bogey, bogey and double the first three holes, but was lucky I was only 1-down. Today, I didn't hit the ball well off the tee, but my putting was my strength."

Bernstein went ahead 1-up on by parring the 14th hole, but Pastore evened up the match with a par on No. 15.

"I got a little unlucky on 15 and 16," Bernstein said. "Overall, it was a pretty good day, even though I didn't have my `A' game the whole match. I can't be too upset losing to a player of David Pastore's caliber."

Paul Pastore, David's younger brother, served as David's caddie, while Michael Savitt, a Brunswick School graduate, was on the bags for Bernstein at the unique course. The Creek's 6,454-yard course has a different feel to it, starting with the sixth hole, which is one of six holes that's pretty close to the Long Island Sound. With the wind whipping, both golfers had to make adjustments.

"It's almost like three different golf courses," Pastore said. "The first five holes are very different than the next six or seven and the last couple are like their own course. The wind effects the ball so much on some holes and on some others it has no effect. You really can't let that bother you and you have to focus on being patient."

Lowe advanced to the championship match by defeating two-time MGA Player of the Year Joe Saladino of Huntington Country Club, 2-up, in Saturday's other semifinal. Fittingly, the Met Amateur finals between Pastore and Lowe is a matchup featuring the two players leading the MGA Player of the Year points list. Pastore, who has been playing with a brace on his right leg to support his knee since the first round of the Connecticut Open Championship Monday, is in the lead, with Lowe right behind him. Sunday's winner will put himself in position win the MGA Player of the Year award.

"For some reason, I feel better than I did two days ago," said Pastore, who finished third in the Connecticut Open this week at Rolling Hills. "I feel good, I feel fresh. I'm just really happy to be in the finals and I think that has energized me and excited me."